Improvement in gaiter-shoes



UNITED I SrA'rns I fr rrion.

FRANK HENRY AUSTIN HUSSEY, OF LYNN, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TOV HIMSELF AND AARON F. SMITH, OF SAME PLAGE.

IMPROVEMENT IN GAlTER-SHOES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 117,078, dated July 18, 1871.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK HENRY AUSTIN HUssEY, of Lynn, of the county of Essex and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Shoes or Gaiter Boots; and do hereby declare the same to be fully described in the following specification and represented in the accompanying drawing, of which- Figure 1 denotes a side elevation of a boot -with my improvement. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section, and Fig. 3 a transverse section of its button-hole ily or iap.

In carrying out my invention I arrange within the button-hole ily A, and between its outer edge and button-holes a a a, a iiexible stay or wire, b. Both the edge and the wire are represented as serpentine in form, this formation of the wire being to cause it to retain its normal position within the ily and not work out of such in a longitudinal position. The range of buttonholes, aswell as that of buttons, is disposed in parallelism, or substantially so, with the serpentine stay, the same being that more or less of the buttons, when'the i'ly is buttoned, may be within or be drawn into the angles of curvature of the stay, and thereby aid in holding the stay in place or preventing it from working endwise out of place. I sometimes run a row of stitching through the iiy, along the inner side of and close to the stay, and sometimes I also add such a row of stitches to the ily on the other side of the stay, the same being for ornament as well as utility. The purpose ofthe stay is to prevent the button-holes from being torn out by the strain of the buttons c c c or during the operation of buttoning the iiy upon them, an accident of frequent occurrence under the ordinary mode heretofore practiced of making the fly without any such stay. Furthermore, the stay prevents the ily or flap from wrinkling and the leg portion of the boot, while in wear, from settling down upon the ankle.

I am aware of the invention described in the United States Patent N o. 102,694, wherein a wire, provided at or near its middle with a helical spring, is represented as inserted in the leg-iiap 5 but in this case elastic bands and hcoks-and-eyes or like fastenings are employed for securing the overlapping edge thereof. I make no claim to any such devices, used together, for the operation of the stay-wire is very different with the said bands and hooks-and-eyes than with buttonholes and buttons as employed by me.

As hereinbefore mentioned, the purpose or" the stay, in its special arrangement with the series of buttoirholes, is to prevent them from being torn out by the strain on the buttons or during the act of buttoning. Again, when the wire has the serpentine form, as described, it will, throughout its length, operate to retain itselfI in the iiy; whereas, when made with a spring, as described, both the parts projecting beyond the spring are liable to work endwise out ofthe ily. I am also aware of the gaiter as shown and described in United States Patent N o. 34,140, and make no claim to any part thereof. The stay-wire in my gaiter-shoe has a serpentine form, whereby it has advantages, as described, over a straight Wire or stay.

I claim- A shoe or boot as made with the stay I), ar# ranged in a serpentine form in the button-hole flap, and having the button-holes and buttons arranged in or substantially in parallelism with the stay, all being as represented and described.

FRANK H. A. HUSSEY.

Witnesses:

R. H. EDDY, S. N. IIPER. 

